by Toni Aleo
“I made you believe that I cared for you that night, didn’t I? When all I really wanted from you was to get laid.”
Erik didn’t mean to say that but she was getting too close to the truth of it all and he felt like his back was up against the wall. He couldn’t dare look at her; he knew he had just fucked up royally. He considered himself to be very levelheaded, and he usually thought things out before doing them. He didn’t understand the effect she had on him, but it was obvious when he said and did stupid things—Piper was dangerous.
“No,” she pursued. “I don’t believe that for one second. I see right through you and I know in my heart you are not this person. If you want me to stay around and carry out this deception, then you better treat me with some respect.”
Erik nodded as he pulled up to the curb of Jakob’s house. Putting the car in park, he turned to face her.
“I have no problem treating you with respect, Piper; just remember where the lines are.”
“Oh, I know where the lines are, Erik, and I know about your walls, too, and you’ve had them up since the beginning. You need to remember who needs who here. I don’t need you. I was fine before you ever stepped one foot into my life.”
“Same here, babe,” he said, grabbing the keys and throwing the door open to get out of the car.
Great, he was pissed now, and that was the last thing he wanted. Being nervous and pissed all at one time wasn’t a good combination, and he hated it. Taking in a deep breath, he walked around the car to find Piper still sitting in the front seat. She was wiping her eyes and fixing her makeup, which was good. He needed a moment to breathe.
This whole thing wasn’t going to be easy at all. He liked things to be easy. Being on the ice was a different story: He wanted to work hard there. But off the ice he didn’t want outspoken and spunky and that was Piper. Unfortunately, even though she could piss him off there was still an attraction between them that was hard to ignore.
Shaking his head, he watched as she got out of the car and shut the door. Fixing the bottom of her short shorts, which showed off her gorgeous tanned legs, she glanced up at him before looking at the house. Erik followed her gaze and let out another long breath. He wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She was right when she said they needed to be believable if they were going to deceive everyone in their family. As much as it hurt him to lie to Alla, Cooper, and Jakob, there was no choice. He needed everyone to believe he loved this woman and that the child she carried was the greatest gift in the world. They might not like each other right now, but they needed to act like they did. Looking back at Piper, he met her soft blue eyes.
Smiling, he said, “No more fighting, okay?”
“Do I have a choice?” she asked sadly, and his smile fell.
He didn’t want her to feel trapped; that was the last thing he wanted. He knew she wouldn’t be happy about this, but couldn’t they just get along?
“You do; you can leave at any time, but I hope you don’t. I need your help. I’m sorry for everything—the prenup, not kissing you, and the dinner thing—but this is who I am. I don’t want you to get confused and do something like fall for me. I want this to be an easy break after the baby’s born. I want us to be friends. I want to try to be a good father at the end of this even though being a father is the last thing I ever wanted. I know it’s a lot to ask but I need you to help me out, too.”
She glared as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d rather stab you in the eye with a broken hockey stick.”
He held his hand out to her.
“God, I’m so glad I married you; now come here, sweetheart.”
She didn’t move. She only shook her head and snapped, “Don’t call me that.”
Taken aback, he asked, “Why? It’s what husbands call their wives.”
Piper looked away.
“It’s what you called me that night, and I don’t ever want to hear that word come out of your mouth ever again unless you truly mean it. So call me something else, if you must.”
Erik had to look away as he cursed himself for this. He never had pet names for females, and the only reason he had called her sweetheart was because Cooper called Alla that. He didn’t even realize he had called her that before.
Closing his eyes, he took hold of her hand and brought her to him.
“Darling,” he said softly as he opened his eyes to her wide ones.
Her stomach pressed against his groin and he wished he hadn’t pulled her to him. The simple touch had his body on fire, and he wondered if she felt the same. The way she was glaring at him made him think she didn’t.
“We are going to be okay. We are going to make it through this.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I know so. We just have to work together on this,” he said, his arms tightening around her waist.
It was as if he wasn’t even in control of his body. He wanted to push her against the car and ravish her, but he knew he couldn’t. Plus, he was pretty sure she might try to kick him in the balls if he tried. Her eyes were searching his, and his mouth itched to be pressed against hers. She made him want to do the naughtiest things imaginable.
Oh, this was so bad.
“Okay, can you let me go now?”
Looking up from her mouth into her eyes, he nodded, moving away from her. She started walking up the drive, and he followed close behind to Jakob’s house. Their driveway was filled with cars, making Erik wonder if they were late. Piper reached the porch and waited for him as he climbed the steps. Simultaneously they each took in a deep breath as Piper reached for the doorknob. Looking back at him, she opened the door and entered the house.
Erik only hoped that he made it out alive.
* * *
Piper was still rattled from her spat with Erik, but her rapid heartbeat wasn’t from the fight; it was from how close he held her. It had been so long since she had been in his arms like that, and seeing the lusty look in his eyes didn’t help any, either. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but either way her heartbeat was erratic and her panties were drenched with want for him.
Which was another thing that made no damn sense!
“Erik,” Alla gushed as she wrapped her arms around him.
Piper watched as he closed his eyes and embraced his adoptive mother. Seeing him with his family was how she knew he wasn’t the guy he was trying to portray. For the last two years they’d been at family gatherings together and Erik had never been like what the tabloids said he was. He loved these people and he loved Ally, their niece. Time and time again she’d seen who the real Erik was, so why the façade? What was he trying so hard to hide? Because the more he tried, the more it wasn’t working and it would only be a matter of time before everyone else saw, too.
As he parted from Alla, Erik glanced back at Piper and she knew right then that the reason she put up with his crap was that she loved him. The more she thought about her unreasonable support of this man, the more sense it made—she had been hopelessly in love with him. Gah, was she crazy? She must be, because if she told anyone how she felt about this guy they wouldn’t friggin’ believe her.
She held Erik’s gaze until Cooper wrapped him up in a backslapping hug and said, “Good to see you, son. Real good.”
Erik chuckled.
“It’s so good to see you, Piper!” Erik’s mom greeted her with enthusiasm—boy, wait till she hears the news.… For the longest time Piper thought that Alla was their real mother, but Erik had talked a lot about his family when they’d spent the night together and had told her he and Jakob were adopted. Piper had never expected that. They favored Alla so much probably because Erik’s real mom and Alla were sisters. Alla had dark hair like Erik’s and it was styled in a cute pixie cut. Her eyes were dark brown and very exotic looking and she had a bright smile that resembled Erik’s. Alla was a bit on the tall side, but beside her giant of a husband she looked tiny.
Cooper was such a grea
t guy and Piper knew he loved Erik unconditionally. They were never blessed with children of their own and made up for it by loving Erik and Jakob all the more. It was refreshing but also unnerving because Piper had no idea how Alla was going to handle Erik and Piper being married and pregnant.
Looking over Alla’s shoulder, Piper noticed her parents had entered the room, with Harper close behind them. Reese was there, too, with Ally on her hip, and Jakob was leaning against the wall with a grin on his face.
Isn’t this convenient, she thought with a sigh.
Alla pulled back with a puzzled look and glanced down at Piper’s growing midsection.
She then looked up at Piper’s face and asked, “Honey?”
Piper gave her a nervous smile.
“Yeah, there is a baby in there,” she said with a laugh.
Alla turned looking for Piper’s mom, Rowan, and said, “She’s pregnant? You didn’t tell me that!”
With a tight smile, Rowan said, “We just found out the other day.”
“Oh,” Alla said with a “whoops” sort of look on her face.
Piper bit into her lip when all the eyes fell on her. She felt stupid and knew that her whole family and now Alla and Cooper were looking at her as if she had fucked up again. She wanted to burst out in tears but before she could even do anything, she felt someone come up behind her, and then a hand rested on her stomach. Looking up, she met Erik’s dark eyes. He looked just as nervous as she did but for some reason, she felt comforted by him.
Erik turned from her and was about to address their families. Piper watched as a smile crossed his face and he told them, “We are excited. It was unplanned and a complete surprise but we are happy.”
Piper wanted to laugh at his lie, but she remembered that she was a part of it. She put on a smile of her own, then noticed everyone looking at them with shocked faces.
“Whoa, excuse me?” Harper asked as Jakob came off the wall and to her side. Up until now Harper knew that Piper was pregnant; Piper just never told her sister it was Erik’s baby.
“Erik?” Jakob asked as Erik chuckled.
“Guys, come on, don’t act so surprised,” Erik said. “You must have noticed Piper and I had a thing for one another.”
Rowan’s mouth was moving but no words were coming out. Harper’s face was red with anger as Jakob stood with a silly grin on his face, “Stop playing, Erik. What is going on?”
Erik massaged Piper’s shoulders. “We are having a baby. It’s due in September, right, gorgeous?”
Piper looked up at him with what she hoped he saw as a warning look. He was laying it on pretty thick and no one was going to believe this shit.
“Yes, the twenty-first.”
They gave each other fake smiles before looking back at their family. Rowan was still blinking uncontrollably, her mouth moving, while Piper’s father, Blake, stood beside her, his eyes locked on Erik. Piper looked over at her twin to see Reese glaring at Erik, too. Alla and Cooper looked shocked as well, and Piper was starting to feel self-conscious. This was bad. They should have done this another way.
“I remember everyone being a little happier when Harper and Jakob announced Ally,” Erik added, hugging Piper close to his body.
She loved when he’d hugged her all those months ago but it felt different now since she knew that he didn’t mean it.
“Um, you’re six months, Piper, and we are just finding out about this?” Alla asked. “Erik, why didn’t you tell us?”
“We weren’t sure how we were going to do this,” Erik lied. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a father and kind of freaked for a while. We broke up but then I decided I couldn’t be without Piper any longer and asked her to marry me yesterday and she said yes.”
“You’re married?” Harper, Rowan, and Reese yelled all at once.
Erik laughed. “Surprise!”
Piper elbowed him as she nodded.
“We’re in love. We want to be a family.”
“This is insane,” Harper said, looking over at Jakob.
“Oh, Piper,” Rowan said, shaking her head as she held her hand over her mouth. There it was. The ultimate disappointed look from her mother.
“Piper, baby, why didn’t you tell us?” Blake asked, but Piper couldn’t look at her father. She couldn’t look into his eyes and lie.
She couldn’t.
“It was all so sudden, Daddy.”
Minutes passed with only Ally making a noise. Piper’s heart was pounding against her ribs and she could feel Erik’s hands trembling. Talk about uncomfortable moments.
Finally Cooper cleared his throat before saying, “I think we need to talk, son, outside. Piper, no offense to you, sweetie, don’t think that we aren’t happy to have you in our family, and having our grandchild, but I need to talk to Erik.”
Nodding her head, since she didn’t feel at all offended, she said, “Yes, I understand.”
She glanced back at her family as Erik pressed his lips to her temple. Her traitorous eyes fell shut at his gentle touch, and when his lips fell to her ear, she took in a deep breath as he whispered, “Stay strong, stick to the story, and everything will be fine.”
He gave her one last kiss on the cheek and followed Alla and Cooper out the door. Jakob was close behind and when the door shut, Harper started yelling. “Are you fucking crazy? You don’t love him! He sleeps with everything that walks!”
“Piper, sweetie, what have you done?” Rowan asked.
Piper took in another deep breath and ran her hands through her hair.
“Is it really that crazy for you all to believe that I love him?”
“Yes!” Harper and Reese and what seemed like the entire room cried out together.
“He’s a dick!” Reese added.
“And he probably gave you everything from the clap to herpes!” Harper said as Piper shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me this the other day? You said you were pregnant and that was it. Why didn’t you tell me then who the father was?”
“Harper, it wasn’t time. I wasn’t ready to say, and really, you guys, he isn’t a bad guy. He is good to me and I love him,” Piper argued.
“Piper, baby, why didn’t you tell us about the pregnancy back when it first happened? We could have helped you. Erik isn’t going to stay; you know how he is,” Rowan said, her hands moving with every word.
“Wait a minute,” Harper said. “I know what’s going on—Piper, he is using you for something. What it is I don’t know, but I do know Erik Titov does not want a wife and baby. He is Jakob’s total opposite. He’s told Jakob and me both over and over again!”
“Now you’re stuck with his baby and you’re gonna be a single mom because he is going to leave,” Reese said with a disgusted look on her face.
Piper was getting pissed. She usually could take the females of the Allen clan coming at her, but for some reason she was about to blow a gasket this time. She was still so overwhelmed by how much her life had changed. She hated lying to them, she wanted to tell them the truth, but most of all she wanted the support of her family. She wanted the love they showered Harper with, not this. This was wrong. They were supposed to love her no matter what! No matter whom she loved or who knocked her up. They were supposed to support her.
Putting her hands on her hips, Piper let them have it. “And what is wrong with that? What would be so wrong about me being a single mother if it came down to it?” Turning to Harper and Reese, she continued: “I take great care of Ally, and when I teach at the studio I’m amazing.” Her mom was standing next to her twin as she said, “Yeah, I tend to mess up and make bad choices, Mom, but at least I’m still a functioning adult. I don’t ask for money. I don’t sleep on your couch. I am happy, and now I am having a baby, and I have a husband. Why can’t y’all be happy for me?”
Whatever happened to unconditional love? Piper’s disappointment in her family probably equaled their own in her.
“You’re emotional from the pregnancy,” Harper said, “and Er
ik doesn’t really want this. Piper, please believe me. Leave him, and come live with me, I’ll help you, and then we can talk about adoption or something. You don’t want this. You are just starting your life with the book stuff and everything; you don’t want a baby.” She pleaded softly but Piper didn’t want to hear that.
She did want her baby. What Harper was saying sounded very self-serving.
“No, I do want this. This is my baby and that is my husband! We are married. Leave me be, I am happy,” Piper said. “What’s done is done. Nothing is going to change, so just let it be.”
Her father spoke, fortunately putting an end to the ongoing squabble.
“She is right. Even if we don’t agree or think she is making the wrong choice, Rowan, we always said we would let them make their own decisions and hope that we raised them right. What do we know? Erik could be a different man than what we all believe him to be.”
Reese scoffed as Harper shook her head. Rowan crossed her arms and tears pooled in her eyes. Blake looked over at Piper. She hated to disappoint him but that’s all she saw on his face, disappointment, and it killed her.
He cleared his throat. “It isn’t our place to tell you how to live your life, Piper Madison. All we can do is be here for you if you need us. You are an adult now, free to make your own decisions, and we will always love you. Don’t forget that.”
Good, because Piper thought she would probably need them sooner rather than later.
* * *
“Erik, please tell me what is going on,” Cooper said once the door shut behind Jakob.
Erik crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders.
“I got married yesterday and we are having a baby in September.”
“Yes, I heard that; I’m trying to figure out how the hell this happened.”
“I thought you were playing the field,” Jakob said. “You always said you’d never get married or have kids; even just last week you made that comment.”
“Erik, why didn’t you tell us? We would have liked to have been there for you,” Alla cried.